


He's Back

by NiKoLaIs_AtTiTuDe



Category: King of Scars - Fandom, Nikolai Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: (Help get David's head out of his notepad), Darkling returns (Ewww), During King Of Scars, F/M, Genya and David are concerened parents looking for them, Internal Conflict, Nikolai Zoya and Yuri are gone, So Excited for the sequel!!!!!!, We love Genya's super flashy eyepatches, alina gets her powers back, we all need to know what happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-08 00:50:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19860835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiKoLaIs_AtTiTuDe/pseuds/NiKoLaIs_AtTiTuDe
Summary: Alina and Mal are leading their fairytale ending, or so they thought until Genya and David arrive on their doorstep one night to tell them Nikolai, Zoya, and a monk named Yuri have gone missing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I procrastinate too much :))

The boy and girl were content. They had everything they needed, but it still felt like there was something missing. The children of the house didn’t notice it as much as the staff noticed it these days. The hushed whispers, the worried looks and fake facade they both put on, they knew something wasn’t right. They knew for sure when two palace guards and arrived at the boy and girl’s doorstep with an urgent message. 

For the longest time Alina Starkov knew something wasn’t right. She felt slow, more tired than usual. She had asked Mal about it when it first started happening, “It’s probably all the stress with the new children arriving” he’d told her as he picked her up in his arms and spun her until they were both dizzy and laughing. But it had gotten worse, some days she felt stronger than ever, but the next day she didn’t want to get out of bed, it scared her. Alina knew Mal knew. His touch lingered on her and his eyes held her gaze for longer than usual.

One late night on a bad day. Alina had went to bed early, Mal followed shortly behind her. “Alina, how bad is it?” She continued putting on her nightgown, “Worse, but better, it’s hard to explain, I don’t even know what’s happening”. Her put his arms around her, holding her in a tight embrace, “Maybe David could help, or Genya, we could always make a trip to Os Alta”. Alina shook her head, “No, it’s too busy here, we have work we need to do”. “Your health is more important, we have to find out what’s causing this”. There were two sudden loud knocks on the front doors of Keramzin. “I’ll get it” Mal told her, “I’ll come too” She told him determined, “This is my house too”.

The sun was still low in the sky when they answered the door. David, Genya, Tamar and Tolya were at the door, their expressions frantic. “What in the name of all the saints and your aunt Hennie are you doing here!?” Mal said incredulously. “Nikolai is Gone” Genya and David told them, panicked expressions clear in the dark light. “We came here to tell you as soon as we could.'' “Zoya is also gone, with the Monk as well” Tamar informed them. “Wait..what!?!? And who is this monk?” Alina asked as she hurriedly shuffled them inside and into the dining hall, closing the french doors behind her so no one could hear them.

After Genya had explained everything, sparing no details of Nikolai’s ordeal and what Yuri had told them. Alina sat back in her chair, “Do we have any idea where he, Zoya and Yuri went?” She questioned. “They went looking in the unsea for a cure for Nikolai’s condition.”. Alina sighed, she knew Nikolai had always been reckless, doing before actually thinking things through. “Have you sent out trackers searching?”. “Yes, and they’ve come back with nothing, noy even a trace. It’s like they’ve vanished off the face of the world!”. 

Mal stood up, even without his powers as Morosova’s Amplifier, he was still a very good tracker, he spoke, his voice low, “Then there’s nothing you can do, those men are the best at doing their job, if Nikolai Zoya and this monk were out there, they would have found them.”. Genya paced uneasily, “We have to do something! There are many young eligible women coming to court Nikolai in a weeks time!”. Alina’s head shot up, “Wait what?!”. Genya looked exasperated “Don’t look so surprised Alina, Nikolai with his condition is dangerous, and there are already rumors about his bastardry, with no heir Ravka’s throne is vulnerable”. She knew she should say something, but Alina knew she would never tell anyone about Nikolai’s true lineage, no matter how close or trusted they were to her, it was his secret to choose who he told.

“Then we wait”. David told them as he put his notepad down. “We have to engage protocol, find the best suited person to take over as Nikolai until he returns.”, then he sat back down and continued writing in his notepad. Alina wanted to laugh. David was the most logical person she knew, and he was right, that would be the best option. “Good idea” She told David, who just dipped his head without even looking up. “But please Genya, Inform me as soon as anything comes up about Nikolai, I need to make sure he’s safe” She grabbed Mal’s arm, “We need to make sure he’s safe.

Alina knew Mal wasn’t Nikolai’s biggest fan, but she knew he worried for all of the three’s safe return. “We better be going, we have lots of work to do” Genya told them as she and David put their coats on, “If anything comes up, you’ll be the first to know”. As Mal shut the door he murmured to Alina “It’s going to be alright”, and she believed him.


	2. Chapter 2

It went on for some time. The late nights of no sleep, her thoughts drifting from possibility to possibility. On one of those days when Alina felt extra empty without her powers, she had sat by the bay window and played with the sunlight shining through the glass, the warmth on her fingertips nostalgic to when she had once used her powers.

It was just like that, a mere flick on her wrist, and suddenly sunlight was everywhere, blinding her. It’s back. The thought excited her, as the light died down she tried to summon just a small ball of light, and it worked! Alina couldn’t believe what she was doing, it couldn’t be real, it’s a miracle! 

She rushed downstairs, her skirts dancing behind her and the children moved out of her way. She found Mal where he normally was at this time of day, packing his satchel to go out hunting. “MAL!” he turned, concern passing over his features. “Alina? What’s wrong?!”. She grabbed his hand, pulling him behind her as she ran through the fields, trying to get as far away from everyone as possible so she could show him what had happened to her.

“Alina! You need to tell me what’s going on, what’s gotten into you”. Mal’s weight when he stopped running made Alina stop in her tracks. “Look” she whispered as she let her power wash over her, spreading blinding light over the field. Mal had to shield his eyes because the light emitting from her body was so strong and full of life. As she called back the light, Alina could feel her skin buzzing with energy, “You’re glowing” Mal laughed, and Alina thought he was joking. But when she looked down, she really was glowing.   
In her studies at the palace, Alina had never read about any Grisha’s powers manifesting like this, but then again, she wasn’t a normal Grisha. “We can’t go back with you glowing” Mal told her as they lay in the grass, intertwining their fingers and making her heart beat faster. He always did that to her, she used to tell herself she would get used to it, but she never did. 

By the time her ‘Glow’ had faded, it was almost dark. The sun hung low in the sky, casting golden streams of light from behind the clouds into the purple sky. She wished life was this simple, and for a while it had been, almost like a fairytale, unfortunately with the king of Ravka missing, not to mention one of her closest friends, that was no longer an option. She was very grateful, but confused her powers were back in full force.

After dinner and a story for the children, her and Mal sat by the fireplace pouring over records and books looking for an answer to this mystery. When Mal yawned Alina got up from her position on the floor, “We should go to be”. Mal grunted, “Sleep later, answers now”. She giggled, “You’re so tired you’re not thinking straight”. Mal cast her an ‘I’m-annoyed-but-too-tired-to-argue’ face. “I’m thinking perfectly fine” he mumbled, but nevertheless he followed her up the stairs to their room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to finish and post all the chapters in the same day but you know me, too lazy ;)


	3. Chapter 3

It was late and Alina didn’t know who would be here at such an unsaintly hour. “Hello?” Mal said groggily as he opened the double door. No one could know my powers are back, unless. “Malyen? Alina?” Tolya and Tamar stood before them, and behind them stood Nikolai, Genya, Zoya and David. They all looked worried and Zoya’s eyes blazed with a new angry blue fire. Before Alina registered what was happening, they all ran to her and hugged her. “What happened to you?” She asked Zoya and Nikolai, “I could say the same to you”, Zoya remarked as she stepped back, gesturing at Alina, her fingers stopped, pointing at Alina’s hands. They know, Alina thought, shocked. “You know?” She whispered, not wanting any of the staff at Keramzin to hear. “We had a feeling” Nikolai cut in, squeezing Alina’s shoulder. 

As much as Alina wanted to stay and just talk like old friends, she needed to know what happened and just exactly how they knew she had gotten her powers back. They gathered around the same table Her, Mal, Genya and David had sat at what felt like yesterday, with the exception of two more chairs. 

After Nikolai and Zoya had pieced together what had happened to them since they’d disappeared, Alina was speechless. “Are you...are you saying the Saints are alive?”. Nikolai scoffed, “Trust me, you’re not missing out on anything by not meeting them”

Zoya cut in “That was only one of them, Juris was good, and Grigori, well he tried”. Nikolai cleary wasn’t having it but he kept his mouth shut. “They helped us escape from Sankta Lisabeta, from what she wanted to do” She shuddered at the thought. Everything had been going so great. Yes, with her powers back she felt whole again, hopefully it would stay that way. “It’s all good now though” she said “After all, everything’s ok now, right?”

A long suffocating silence came over the room, “Alina, what day exactly did you get your powers back?” Nikolai asked, an edge to his voice that wasn’t there before. “About six days ago” she told them, turning to Mal who asked “Why?”

Zoya gave Nikolai a warning glance and even David looked tense. Genya turned to Tolya, “Go” and he headed to the coach behind the one they all came out of. “What’s going on?” she shakily asked. Zoya looked at her, a look of pain evident on her face. Zoya had never looked at Alina like that before, she was scared. “You may want to sit down for this” she told her. Alina hadn’t even realized they’d all stood up.

“Remember the Monk Yuri that Nikolai and Zoya entered the Fold with?” Genya asked as Tolya brought in a drab clad boy with a bag over his head, shackles around his wrists and ankles. At the sight of him Alina felt her blood run cold, something was very, very wrong with this boy. The room itself seemed to freeze. “Y..yes” she replied, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “When banishing the monster from me and stopping Lisabeta, something went wrong.'' All the memories of what happened came back in a rush, it made her head spin and or a moment she saw spots in her vision.

But when she spoke, her voice was like steel, “What. Went. Wrong.” Tamar nudged Tolya and he slowly slid the bag off the Monk’s head. 

Alina’s heart stopped. “Hello Alina” The Darkling’s voice was eerily calm. “NO” she whispered as her vision blurred, she felt her body start to glow as she started to faint. “ALINA!” she could distantly hear Mal’s voice as she drifted. “No”. 

He’s back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this I'm gonna start working on Kaz vs Area 51! and yes, I am getting on that bandwagon, deal with it lmao.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all liked it! I keep starting fics that I want to write and end up forgetting abt then immediatly want to finish and publish.


End file.
